Northeast Ohio innovation leaders gathered at Think[box], the largest open-access innovation center at any university in the world (7-stories; 50,000 square feet) and stocked with state-of-the-art design and prototyping equipment. Three professionals shared their unique perspectives on the world of innovation and trends that are (or will be) impacting Northeast Ohio. The space was inspiring and several leaders made connections with others around products and solutions.

Tyler Allchin, Director at BioEnterprise, shared an overview of the diversity of companies and their technologies working in Northeast Ohio’s biotech space – including the Cleveland’s new Plug and Play initiative as well as how innovation in the biotech space intersects with manufacturing and other industries in the region.

Prof. Michael Goldberg is an internationally-recognized expert in the innovative start-up arena, operating at the intersection of design and new value creation. He has lectured all over the world on entrepreneurship, and his online course “Beyond Silicon Valley” (and recently-released book) was named by Inc.com as one of the top online classes that “will make you smarter and more interesting.”

Bill Nottingham, VP at Cleveland’s famed Nottingham-Spirk Design, specializes in breaking old design models to create products and services that disrupt your current activities as well as your industries. He shared some great insights from his travels and exposure to national and global innovation summits.

Key Takeaways:

• Key Takeaways:
• Be prepared for change
• The importance of expanding your borders; look beyond what is currently done product and technology wise.
• The importance of networking with other organizations, it’s easy to keep head down with work
• Foster a collaborative environment for innovation – don’t fall back into silos
• Empowering employees to think outside of the box 
• Problems drive creativity / Fear kills innovation

Books innovation leaders are reading:

• Beyond Silicon Valley: How One Online Course Helped Support Global Entrepreneurs (Goldberg)
• Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration (Catmull)
• The Spark and the Grind (Wahl)
• Contagious: Why Things Catch On (Berger)

About the InnoQuest Innovation Management Program:

A collaborative forum offered bi-monthly to leaders and innovation practitioners of mid- to large-sized companies in Northeast Ohio. Participants gain best practices in managing and guiding the innovation process, new working relations with peer companies & leading practitioners and actionable steps to improve a company’s innovation practices. Program content has included: Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing), Lean Start-Up Principles, Design Thinking and Creativity in Leadership. Each session is held at a location of interest throughout the region; past locations have included; Sherwin Williams, The Technology House, NASA Glenn Research Center, Baldwin Wallace Center for Innovation and Growth, Parker Hannifin’s New Innovation Center and the Cleveland Institute of Art.

To participate in the InnoQuest Innovation Management program contact:

Chris Keller (Chris@edgef.org; 216-346-6300) or Grant Marquit (Grant@edgef.org; 216-215-5058)